Not So Bad
by WrittenByMeow
Summary: Johnny is anxious about Robby coming over for family dinner.


Johnny fiddled with the new entertainment system. It was the tenth time he had done so in the last half hour.

Hiding her laughter, Carmen came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "What are you so worried about, corizon?"

He sighed, dropping his head. "This is the first time that he's meeting you. I know he and Miguel have beef…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

She kissed his shoulder through the material of his shirt and rested her cheek against it. "Don't worry," she murmured. "I'll be there. Mama will be there."

He scoffed. "Yeah. Your mother. We both know she's not going to quit talking smack the whole time. Just because I don't understand what she's saying most of the time doesn't mean I don't know what she's talking about, okay?" His hand cut through the air in a dismissive gesture.

"Are you that worried about a fight breaking out?" She asked, growing a little concerned.

He turned around and pulled her to his chest. "Not an actual fight, if that's what you're asking. Probably. Maybe. Hell, I don't know."

"It will be okay," she assured him. "Plenty of families have survived dinner together before. We can, too."

He grumbled a few unintelligible words.

She stood up on her toes and pecked him on the lips. He readily reciprocated the gesture. She dropped back down and smoothed her palms over his chest. "Now, go tell Miggy to come set the table. I'm going to help Mama."

Johnny walked down the hall and knocked on the doorframe. "Hey, kid. Your mom wants you to come set the table," he told him.

Miguel dropped his phone to the bed with a scowl. "Do I have to?"

Johnny gave him a hard look. "Don't give your mom a hard time. I mean it. Alright?"

With a sigh, Miguel rolled off the bed. "Yes, Sensei," he muttered.

Right as Johnny and Miguel were finishing their task, a knock came at the door. Johnny's head shot up. Quickly he glanced over at Carmen.

She placed her hand on his arm. "I'll get it. Okay?"

He gave a jerky nod.

Carmen opened the door and grinned at the boy standing on the other side. "You must be Robby. Welcome. Please, come in."

He eyed her warily. "Carmen, right?"

Her grin widened as she nodded. She waited until he had stepped over the threshold for introductions. "Over there is my mother, Rosa, and you already know Miggy."

Smirking, Robby dipped his head towards the other boy. "Miggy," he said mockingly.

"Mama," Miguel sighed, hanging his head. It wasn't that he didn't like the childhood nickname. In fact, he had always liked it. The few times that his Sensei had used it (outside of the dojo, of course) it had made him feel warm and fuzzy. The last thing he needed though was for his mortal enemy to know that. It was ammunition he didn't want to give Robby Keene of all people.

In a show of support, Johnny clapped him on the shoulder. The parting squeeze on his trapezius might have made some wince but Miguel was accustomed to the gruff show of affection.

Robby took all this in with calculating eyes. A muscle in his temple flickered as he clenched his jaw.

Rosa barked out an impatient noise and heaved the giant frying pan of the stove. "Leave the boys to their pissing contest," she told her daughter in Spanish. "I'm not eating cold chicken!"

Miguel grimaced, a touch of fondness in the way he shook his head, and sat down.

A winning – and completely false – smile crossed Robby's face. It was the same one that he used to swindle passwords and keys and phones out of unsuspecting victims. In fluent Spanish, he said, "Why bother? We already know who will win."

Miguel's and Rosa's head shot towards him in concert. There was a grudging respect in the old woman's eyes. Carmen placed a hand over her mouth, trying to keep her amusement to herself.

Blue eyes wide, Johnny looked at his son as if he had never seen him before. "What's going on? What did he say?"

"You don't speak Spanish?" Robby drawled, switching back to English, and then scoffed. "Figures."

"He's getting better," Carmen assured him, a chuckle escaping her. "But Mama is right. Let's eat before the food gets cold."

Rosa walked around the table, scooping helpings onto plates, as everyone took their seats. They all waited for her join them.

When everyone else joined hands, Robby reluctantly took Carmen's and Rosa's in his. However, he didn't lower his head when Rosa began to recite grace. His family had never been religious in anyway that he could recall, so it was very strange to see his own father with his eyes closed and head bowed over his dinner.

Conversation was stilted at first. This was to be expected. Like on most nights, it flowed between the two languages spoken in the house. Carmen had been right – Johnny was getting better. It was exceedingly amusing to see his father attempt to plod along in broken Spanish so Robby did his best to keep Rosa engaged. He had a feeling she understood English but the woman stubbornly refused to stray from her native tongue.

Before he realized it, Miguel and Johnny were clearing away the dirty dishes. Robby had been too caught up in the story Rosa and Carmen were regaling him with about the time that sweet, six-year-old Miggy had lost his first tooth. Apparently he had thought he was dying and had gone to his Yaya in tears. It was prime material to embarrass his enemy later, but Robby could barely think of that as he resisted the stitch in his side from laughing so hard. When his father asked if he wanted to stay for dessert, he found himself agreeing.

After too many servings of flan, he begged that it was time for him to go home. He shared an awkward, one-armed hug with his father before Carmen guided him to the door. She kept a light hand in between his shoulder blades until he stepped through the door.

"Robby!" She called before he had gotten too far.

He stopped and looked back, seeing her leaning against the edge of the door. "Yeah?"

"Will you be here next week?" She asked, a smile playing around her lips and brown eyes soft.

He hesitated. Sure, tonight had been fun, but did he really want to make it a regular thing? There was still a lot left unresolved with his father – and that was before adding Miguel and Sam and Cobra Kai and Miyagi-Do into the mix.

"I can make my famous tres leches cake," she wheedled.

That got a laugh out of him. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. "I think I'd like that," he confessed.

"Okay," she said. "Drive safe, Robby. Text your dad when you get home, please? I know you're almost grown but it would make me feel better."

He smirked at the thought of his father wading through the technological complexities of texting. "Sure thing, Carmen."

She gave him a truly spectacular smile. It was no wonder why his father was so head over heels for her. She reminded Robby of Mrs. LaRusso in a lot of ways.

Who knows? Maybe dinner over at the Diaz/Lawrence household every Wednesday night wouldn't be such a bad thing.

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**Let me know what you think :)**


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